developing sheet film in hangers

[BetterSense]

I have 2 Kodak rubber tanks and stainless steel hangers. I understand that to agitate with hangers you pick up the hangers, rotate, pause (how long?), and then repeat. My question is if this is a bulletproof process or something that has to be practiced. I'm going on a trip soon and will come back with many negatives. It would be easiest for me to mix up the large amount of chemistry needed and develop them with the hangers then, but I don't want to mess up important negatives.

 

[Anscojohn]

I lift them out, tilt them one way, put them back; lift again, tilt the other way, then back down.

 

[fotch]

Its easy. Practice first.

 

[BetterSense]

Practice first.

Oh, ok. I'm not sure I'll get a chance to though.

 

[Photo Engineer]

I agitate with an up / down motion for the first 15" to 30" to help dispel air bubbles. I bang the hangers on the side of the tank to assist in this process.

I also use the lift and tilt method for further agitation.

PE

 

[Vaughn]

John's way is the way we tell our students, though we suggest doing it twice -- may make no difference, but consistancy is important.

Expose a sheet of film to a nice even middle gray (pick a evenly lit wall, for example). Then develop it when you get back from your trip. If it develops evenly, do the rest of your negatives the same way. If it is not even, expose more sheets and try different methods.

 

[Anscojohn]

I agitate with an up / down motion for the first 15" to 30" to help dispel air bubbles. I bang the hangers on the side of the tank to assist in this process.

I also use the lift and tilt method for further agitation.

PE

********
Oh, yeah. I didn't put that. I was thinking only in terms of agitation during development. I do not have a problem with 4x5 coming out of the holders with the initial thumps. Sometimes I lose a 5x7 sheet in the dark. Then I have to dig around in the dark and work like a one armed paper hanger.

 

[Anscojohn]

John's way is the way we tell our students, though we suggest doing it twice -- may make no difference, but consistancy is important.

Expose a sheet of film to a nice even middle gray (pick a evenly lit wall, for example). Then develop it when you get back from your trip. If it develops evenly, do the rest of your negatives the same way. If it is not even, expose more sheets and try different methods.

*******
I do it on the 30 second mark. Wonder if that is the same as doing it twice on the minute?

And I like the idea of the middle gray test. Makes eminent sense, BetterSense.

 

[Vaughn]

*******
I do it on the 30 second mark. Wonder if that is the same as doing it twice on the minute?

There probably is a difference, but the question becomes whether the difference is significant to the average photographer. As I mentioned, being consistant in one's method is the more important factor.

We do every 30 seconds, also -- so "double-dipping" probably gives us a little more active development.

Vaughn

PS...I have never heard nor read of the up and down motion for the first 15 to 30 seconds. We advise students to do quick lift and tilt for the first 30 seconds. Has the up and down motion been shown to be more effective?

 

[herb]

Developing in hangers

I use semi stand. 5 minutes in water at temp, first tap, not bang the hangers to dislodge air bubbles. Then immerse in developer, go thru the tank once, lift tilt immerse, repeat in opposite tilt direction. When all are done, check the time. i use Pyrocat HD 1:100 for 7 minutes depending on the film, then go thru the tank once more as above, leave until 15 min total is gone. Thus you are agitating once at the beginning, once in the middle and at no other times. If you have a lid for the tank, it is a good system.

 

[wildbill]

I've had good results and bad ones with hangers. I've had the holes show up on the film via surge marks from not agitating quick enough, I guess. I don't know what's proper but I always put the emulsion side away from the holes in the hangers. I also wasn't getting good contrast when dunking once a minute. Now that I've gone JOBO, no more surge marks and the contrast is so much better. Do some testing for times, I think the published times for standard development may need to be extended to get enough contrast.

 

[Martin Aislabie]

I agitate with an up / down motion for the first 15" to 30" to help dispel air bubbles. I bang the hangers on the side of the tank to assist in this process.

I also use the lift and tilt method for further agitation.

PE

Me too

I do the rapid initial vertical agitation to displace small air bells.

I know I have air bells because I have occasionally missed this step and had problems

I have never had the problem when I have included the step

Martin